Scaling up Access to Finance in Kigoma, Tanzania

In Tanzania, UNCDF's work under the Kigoma Joint Program (KJP), a multi-UN agency program providing humanitarian and development support to the region, highlights the evolution from financial inclusion to inclusive digital economies. Under the KJP, foundational interventions provide access to informal financial services through the formation and strengthening of savings groups, along with financial and digital education to build savings group members' capacity to effectively use those services to increase income and financial health. Building on this, "next-level" interventions use mature savings groups as an entry point for expanding access to financial and non-financial (primarily agricultural) services, using digital technology as a distribution channel wherever possible.

This knowledge product describes UNCDF's contribution to the KJP in detail and presents over five years of lessons learned in building financial and capability and introducing agricultural technology interventions to savings groups. The insights in this publication will be useful to practitioners, donors, and stakeholders in the private sector implementing similar projects.